My Hand In Yours
by empathapathique
Summary: Reposted. A series of vignettes about Domon and Rain's lives during those first few months together. A prequel of sorts to TMTL. DomonRain
1. Incident One: The Bed

**Disclaimer:** I don't own G Gundam.

**Author's Note:** I decided to post it up again. Mostly because, despite all the crap I've said about it, I really like this story. Because it's funny. A little bit at least. Besides, I was near done with the whole thing anyway—I only had three more chapters left to write. So… yeah. Here it is. Again. Enjoy.

**My Hand In Yours**

**Incident One:** The Bed

The door made a slight creaking sound as it opened, disrupting the quiet of the room. Domon's body went completely still, his breath catching in his chest as he fought to keep from gasping. The floor boards groaned under the weight of a person walking over them, and Domon winced with every step. The sound disappeared as the person stepped onto the large area rug in the room. Domon heard the slight sound of a dresser drawer being opened then closed. Though the sound was relatively soft, it was loud to Domon—both the quiet in the room and his enhanced senses amplifying the sound in his mind, causing the soft sliding sound of the dresser drawer to sound like screeching. He fought the urge to cover his ears.

Two feet ambled towards the bathroom. They stepped off the rug and onto the floor, causing the wood to creak once again as the person made their way to the bathroom door. It opened then shut, the shower starting a minute or two later. Domon's eyes popped open, he releasing the breath he had been holding.

She didn't know he was still awake. He was sure of it.

Domon raised his head, looking at the glowing red numbers of the digital alarm clock. He groaned at finding it was past eleven. God, had he really been lying in bed for more than three hours? He'd gone to bed early so he could fall asleep first. He didn't want to be awake when she came up—when she slipped beneath the sheets and laid her warm body next to his. It was too… awkward.

Too _weird_.

Yet it looked as if it was going to happen anyway. Domon had come up to the bedroom first, showered and lay down, waiting for sleep to come. However it never did. All he could do was wonder. Why hadn't he expected this? I mean, he and Rain were living together now. They had agreed to share a room. So why—why had he been so shocked when he saw those workers bring in the bed? Had he actually thought that they'd have separate beds?

Domon sighed, running a hand over his face. He didn't know _what_ he'd been thinking. He and Rain were together—a couple. They hadn't been intimate as of yet, however that was sure to come soon—seeing as they shared a bed and everything now.

He blushed red.

Really, what was he supposed to do? He didn't know how to share a bed with someone. Was it like the movies? Was he supposed to hold her? Kiss her? Make love to her? Domon gulped. He didn't know how to do _that_ either. But could he really sleep in the same bed with Rain—both of them in only their pajamas—and actually go to sleep?

No, he couldn't. It was too close for him.

So wrapped up in his thoughts, Domon barely noticed the water of the shower being turned off. He turned on his side—away from the bathroom door—and closed his eyes. He had to at least _pretend_ he was asleep—even though he was certain he wouldn't be getting any that night. Maybe he'd go downstairs and get something to eat. Or watch some TV. He wasn't sure _what_ he'd do to get out of the room, he just knew he wasn't staying in it.

The bathroom door opened.

Domon's body stilled once again. He heard Rain as she walked over to her dresser, opening one of the drawers and rummaging through it before closing it again. She took to few steps from the dresser to the bed, sighing as she pulled back the blanket.

She got in the bed.

The mattress sank down lower with the added weight, shifting as Rain moved around to get comfortable. Domon shut his eyes tighter, his breath coming out as a quavering hiss. Noise. Damn! She'd probably heard him! He bit his lip, hoping—no, PRAYING—that she hadn't heard. He figured she had though. She'd sit up and call his name in a few seconds—call him and ask him why he was still awake. It would happen anytime now…

Anytime…

Nothing happened.

Domon waited for a whole three minutes, yet nothing happened. Nothing aside from Rain's continued squirming. She hadn't heard him. He was safe. Wait—maybe she _had_ heard him. Maybe she was just ignoring him. No, Rain wouldn't ignore him. She was probably waiting until he thought she'd fallen asleep to say something and scare the crap out of him. The conniving little—!

She moved her leg.

Her foot brushed against his calf.

Dear God, _no!_ What the hell did she think she was _doing_?

A shiver ran down Domon's spine. Gooseflesh broke out all over his body. Crap! He should have worn those pajama pants she'd given him instead of the shorts! Crap, crap, _crap_! God, why him?

_Just calm down, Domon,_ he told himself. _Just keep calm…_

Keeping his eyes shut and his breathing in check, Domon began inching away from the woman and her wandering foot. Slowly… very, very, slowly…

He fell off the bed.

It was a strange sound, Domon's skin making this sort of _splatting_ noise when it connected with the hard wood floor, his body stinging from the contact. He lay in the same spot for a long moment, shocked by what had just occurred. He couldn't believe it. He'd fallen.

He'd fallen off the bed.

So much for all that focus he claimed to have. He was _so_ going to have to work on this in his training.

The man groaned. Rain definitely knew he was awake _now._ He rolled onto his back, gasping audibly at what he saw.

Rain was standing over him.

Domon couldn't see her too well, the light being off and all, but he could see enough of her. Her hands were fisted on her hips and her ocean blue eyes flashing with emotion as she glared down at him.

Uh-oh.

"Okay, this is ridiculous!" she said, clearly annoyed. "What's _wrong_ with you? I didn't say anything before, but now it's getting out of hand!"

Wait a second. She knew?

Of course she knew, he told himself. She'd heard him, remember? The fighter frowned. He _knew_ she'd do something like this, the little—

"It's only a bed Domon!"

Thought cut short, the man's brows shot up to his hairline. _Only_ _a bed?_ Did she know what she was talking about?

"I don't _bite_ either."

Domon rolled his eyes. "I know that," he said, speaking up for the first time. What did she think he was, stupid?

"Then why are you acting so childish?" she nearly shouted. "We're just going to sleep! I sleep on one side, you sleep on the other!" she pointed to both sides of the bed before running her hand through her hair, clearly irritated. After a moment or two of breathing deeply, she sighed. "I'm going to bed," she said, disappearing atop of the bed.

Domon laid there on the floor for a long moment, stupefied.

_'We're just going to sleep!'_

Sleep? That's all?

Domon blinked, smacking himself in the face. He'd taken the whole thing too seriously. They were just going to sleep. Together. On the bed. Like normal couples.

Domon picked himself up from the floor and stood at the side of the bed for a long moment, looking at Rain's back.

_'We're just going to sleep!'_

Well, then. He could do that.

Domon grinned, and with the smallest bit of remaining apprehension, he got into the bed. _I'll stay on my side and she'll stay on hers, _he thought, his eyes drooping closed as sleep finally claimed him.

The following morning, Domon awoke at dawn—just as he always did. Though awake, his eyes remained shut, his body somewhat reluctant to leave the peaceful slumber it had just recently enjoyed. He breathed deeply, the smell of wildflowers filling his nose. Domon smiled at the smell, rubbing his face against the silky material beneath his cheek. It was so pleasant; so refreshing; so _Rain_.

Wait a second—_Rain_?

Domon's eyes snapped open, his brown irises wide and fearful as he looked down into a mess of cinnamon hair (silky material—ha!). There was no doubt about it; that was _definitely_ Rain in his arms, she lying on her side and facing away from him. Domon closed his eyes momentarily, a shaky breath escaping him as he fought to keep control. He opened his eyes once again and looked down further, his gaze sliding down Rain's tee shirt encased shoulder to her arm, where it rested by her waist. His eyes got even wider when he saw his OWN arm wrapped around it.

Oh _God_.

Domon gulped. How the hell had they gotten so wrapped up in each other during the night! They were just sleeping, right? They couldn't have done anything else. He wouldn't remember, wouldn't he?

WOULDN'T HE!

_I have to get out of here,_ Domon thought desperately. _I have to get out of here. I can't be here. _Slowly, he began loosen the grip he had on Rain's waist—which was rather tight. Once he'd released her, he began to draw his arm away.

Suddenly, Rain began to shift in her sleep. Domon went rigid, his eyes shutting tightly. She turned over, her face coming to stop directly in front of his. Her hands grabbed fistfuls of his tee shirt, her head falling forward and her forehead coming to press against his chest.

After a few minutes, Domon opened his eyes. He didn't know why, but he just kept expecting something to happen—something more. It's what had him on edge last night—this morning. He wasn't exactly sure _what_ he was expecting, however it wasn't until now that he saw that it wasn't going to.

He looked down to the top of Rain's head. She was just sleeping. Shaking his head at his immaturity, Domon bent his head and placed a light kiss atop her hair. Then, though a bit hesitantly, he swathed his arms around her waist. Closing his eyes, he released a breath through his lips. _Just sleeping,_ he told himself,_ just sleeping._ He became aware of the breath leaving Rain's lips and blowing against his chest; of the heat emanating from her body to his; of, once again, the pleasant smell of her hair. Domon smirked. He could get used to this.

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

You'll notice that I haven't really changed anything--with any of the chapters. Just a quick bit of editing and a bit of the humor I've developed reading Harry Potter fics. Nothing substantial.

Remember: feed the author—review!


	2. Incident Two: The Birthday

Fin: 5/11/05

**Author's Note:** I haven't read this chapter over. At all. It's my least favorite. It was a bitch to write.

**My Hand In Yours**

**Incident Two:** The Birthday

Rain walked up the stairs slowly, rolling her neck in unhurried motions as she attempted to relieve herself of some of the stiffness that had settled into the muscles there. While it wasn't normal for her to be so stiff in the morning, it wasn't exactly normal for her to get up an hour before she usually did either—which was just what she had done today. Low blood pressure or not, Rain wasn't a morning person. She wanted, needed, and desperately _clung_ to every second of sleep she could get.

Today had been exception though; the brown-haired woman had practically _leapt_ out of bed to shut off the alarm clock off when it buzzed, silently praying to whatever Gods could hear that the other occupant in the room hadn't been awakened by its sound. She'd sighed in relief when she realized he hadn't, watching with faint amusement as Domon shifted in his sleep, unconsciously reaching for her. She was no longer in the bed, however, and he ended up grabbing her pillow instead, his arms tightening around the soft mass of cotton and feathers before he fell back into a deep slumber. Fighting to suppress a few giggles, Rain slid her feet into slippers and started on her way down to the kitchen.

The woman's lips pulled into a smile at the thought of her previous actions, her heart swelling with pride as she inhaled the delicious-smelling fumes wafting up from the kitchen. The cooking lessons she'd been taking for the past two and a half months were finally paying off. Sure she had only made pancakes, however it was the fact that they were _good_ pancakes that made her smile. That, combined with the prospect of seeing Domon's face when he tried them.

Domon used to be a good sport about her cooking, venturing to at least _try_ whatever she made. However after the incident with the paella a month or so ago that left him with symptoms akin to a stomach virus, Domon was _very_ careful with what he ate from her cooking. He'd been practically living off boxed dinners and toast ever since.

_It's been so long since I've cooked for him,_ Rain thought as she continued to climb up the stairway. She hadn't shown off her cooking capabilities to the King of Hearts since the paella incident, however what a better day—or rather, morning—to surprise him with her cooking capabilities other than his birthday?

This would be the first time in years since Rain and Domon had celebrated his birthday together, and Rain was determined to make the day special. She'd start the day off for him with a_ hopefully_ good breakfast before she left him to go to work, returning home later in the evening and ordering in for dinner. They lived far from the city, however if you paid enough, certain restaurants would deliver. Then tonight, when they both retired to the room for sleep, Rain had a surprise for him that she was sure either of them would _never_ forget. The thought alone made the woman weak in the knees.

Yet, if her breakfast was on the lethal side and ended up making Domon sick… well, Rain didn't know _what_ she'd do then. Making the man throw up on his birthday—on a day she declared would be special—didn't seem like a good way to kick off the festivities. In fact, Rain was sure there would be _no_ festivities tonight if she made Domon sick.

Rain closed her eyes, sighing at the thoughts. No, she wouldn't think negatively. She'd made Domon breakfast and had done a damn good job at it—as simple as that. She nodded resolutely. Everything would be perfect.

Reaching the top of the stairs, Rain began walking the short distance from the side staircase to the bedroom she shared with the love of her life, the King of Hearts and winner of the 13th Gundam Fight, Domon Kasshu. Her heart blossomed with warmth at the thought of the man. He was hotheaded, irrational, aloof, and at times even insufferable, however the man that was buried beneath the arrogant façade he put up for the world to see is what Rain loved. The man beneath the mask—the angst-ridden and vulnerable individual who was scared and lonely and in pain and wanted to be comforted like the child he'd been long ago—a child which he still was in some ways.

Rain loved the man who'd experienced so much pain, deception, and sorrow in his short, now twenty two years of life that it was hard to believe that he hadn't given in at having to carry it all. Rain loved the strong man that would _never_ give up—the man who made sure to _always _get to where he was going. He may have been stubborn and refused to accept help along the way more than half the time, yet in the end, things always seemed to work out. Rain loved the man who needed her, and whom she needed in turn. He wasn't perfect, however she wasn't either. She just loved him, as simple as that. And come what may, Rain was sure that she would _always_ feel this way.

Rain stopped in front of the bedroom door when she reached it, drawing in a deep breath through her lips before pushing the door open, the hinges creaking as they moved. Rain smiled at the man when she saw him. Domon was still sleeping, lying on his back as he snored lightly. He was in the same position he'd been in an hour ago when she left him, still holding the pillow and all. Apparently, he hadn't noticed her absence. _Good,_ she thought, grinning a bit. She was going to enjoy waking him.

Rain walked over to the bed, sitting on the edge before leaning over and beginning to gently shake the man atop of it. "Domon," she said softly, smiling when he began to stir. "Domon wake up."

Domon groaned sleepily, his eyes twitching beneath their lids as the light from the still rising sun made its presence known on his face. Slowly, his lids lifted, exposing his mahogany gaze to the room. Domon took his time to focus on his surroundings, groaning again as he blinked repeatedly. Rain smiled as she watched him. It was rarely that she roused before him, and even today her waking up before him was forced. Still, she enjoyed watching him rise.

Domon rubbed a hand over his face, the movement ceasing abruptly as realization settled in on him. He hadn't roused on his own; someone had woken him up—the decidedly lazy woman he lived with at that. He shot a quick glance out the window. The sun had already risen and he was still in bed. Why? But Rain—Rain was awake. And why hadn't he felt he rise…? His hand falling from his face, Domon turned his head and stared at the woman—now wide awake—his gaze thoughtfully suspicious.

"Good morning Domon," Rain said sweetly, placing one of her arms on either side of him as she leaned down and placed a chaste kiss on his forehead, her lips lingering on his flesh.

Other than the slight shade of pink that tinted his cheeks, Domon remained utterly unresponsive to Rain's affection, continuing to stare at her suspiciously. "W-what are you doing up before me?" he questioned, stammering a bit and berating himself for it.

Rain pulled back a bit and looked down into the man's face, her own looming over his as she grinned. "Why?" she asked. "Jealous?"

"No," Domon responded quickly, his gaze unwavering. "I just want to know why a person who can't get up at dawn to save their life is up now."

Rain pulled back completely, coming to stand at her full height as a frown tugged at her lips. "Are you insinuating that I'm lazy?"

Domon sat up, his arms coming to cross over his chest as he looked at her. "It can't be called an insinuation if it's the truth."

Rain ignored the statement. She'd _always_ be lazy in Domon's eyes; the fact that she liked to sleep in having everything to do with it. Rain smiled at him instead, her hand coming up to cover her mouth as she yawned. Domon studied her closely. He could clearly see she was still tired. So why was she—?

Domon's train of thought was broken, the excited tone of the blue-eyed female in the room with him doing such. "Get up," she said happily, smiling once again. She was doing a lot of that this morning—something Domon found unsettling. He wasn't used to seeing her so happy in the morning…

Domon watched as Rain walked towards the door. "Why are you up so early?" he questioned, stopping the woman in her tracks.

Rain turned from where she stood in the doorway, casting her bright blue eyes on the man. She smiled again. "I made you breakfast."

_So **that's** what this was about_, Domon thought to himself, realization not yet settling in on him. His eyes widened when it did, fear etching itself onto his features. Breakfast? She'd made him breakfast? _Uh-oh…_

Having been staring at him the entire time, Rain noticed the fear on Domon's face and giggled at it a bit despite knowing that it came from the fact that he didn't trust her cooking. It'd been awhile since she'd last tried to cook for him, and Rain was certain that he'd at least _taste_ the breakfast she'd prepared. And he would be surprised, because it was good.

"Don't worry Domon," she said, heading out the room with a rather disconcerting air of nonchalance. "It's only pancakes."

Domon gulped unconsciously. Pancakes. Had she made them for him before? Probably. But the question was, were they good?

Domon got out of the bed, breathing deeply before exiting the room. He took the side staircase down to the kitchen where his girlfriend was, piling a stack of pancakes on a large, blue plate.

Domon sat at one of the barstools in front of the counter, Rain placing the plate in front of him moments after. She placed a fork and knife atop the stack of pancakes which she'd already drizzled in syrup. Turning away from him, she walked across the room, going into the cupboard above the stove and retrieving a glass off one of the shelves. Domon looked down at the plate in front of him, picking up the fork and knife lying atop the pancakes as he gulped once again.

Rain set the glass in front of him, the sound of the glass hitting the marble countertop appearing loud in the distress of his mind, causing him to cringe. He opened his eyes a moment later, watching as Rain walked away once again, though this time going in the direction of the fridge to retrieve a beverage. Tearing his gaze away from the woman, Domon stared down at the food on his plate. It didn't _look_ harmful. It didn't _smell_ harmful either. But as the old adage goes, looks can be deceiving. Fleetingly, he wondered if there was a saying like that for smelling too.

Domon cut into the pancakes, his brows creased with more concentration than the task required. Just as the refrigerator closed, Domon stuck his fork into two of the fluffy squares he'd carved out of the frighteningly perfect shaped pancakes. By the time Rain was upon him, the squares were already in his mouth and he as chewing them slowly. The taste of warm buttermilk filled his mouth, along with the taste of the sweet maple syrup that had been poured on the squares. It was good—and thank God for that. Domon swallowed, enjoying the feel of the warm lump sliding down his throat. But God, when had she become such a good cook? Domon didn't dwell on the thought too long however, his brain far more interested in reliving the taste of the syrupy squares sliding down his throat.

Rain came back to the counter and emptied the remainder of a carton of orange juice into his glass as she watched him eat—with a rather quickly too. She smiled at her achievement, walking over to the trashcan and depositing the empty juice container before pouring herself a cup of coffee. She stood by the stove, sipping the hot contents of her mug slowly as she watched Domon finish off his breakfast. She wasn't even halfway done with her coffee by the time he'd finished, but she'd always been a slow eater. And Domon was, well, Domon. Hearing the clang of his fork and knife being dropped onto the plate, Rain set her coffee down on the counter, picking up the plate and depositing it in the sink before beginning to wash it.

Domon picked up his glass and downed the contents, watching as the woman as she washed his dish. He set the empty glass down on the counter with a clang, wiping his mouth with a napkin that had been set near his plate. His stomach was full—a feeling Domon relished. He sighed contentedly, though frowned moments later when a thought began to tug at the back of his mind. He looked to Rain once again. "Why'd you make me breakfast?"

Rain placed the newly washed dish on the dish rack to dry, drying the eating utensils with a hand towel before putting them back in their designated drawer. She turned to look at Domon and, completely ignoring his question, asked one of her own. "Did you like it?"

Rain already knew that her pancakes couldn't have been _too_ bad; the pace he'd finished the meal with was proof of it. Still, she wanted to hear him say it—to hear him say that she was actually getting better. A nervous giddiness bubbled deep within her. Yet from the way Domon was scowling at her, it didn't look as if she'd be getting the praise she was seeking.

"You're not supposed to answer a question with a question," he responded in a monotone, though his tone failing to damper Rain's mood.

"Any why not?" she responded flippantly, feeling rather good-humored at the moment, despite the scowling man in the room with her.

"It's rude."

Rain smirked. "And you aren't?"

"That's different. I'm a man. You're a woman."

Rain raised a brow playfully. "Domon Kasshu, are you being sexist?"

One of Domon's ebony brows twitched in frustration. Rain bit back a giggle as she walked over to the counter where he was sitting and picked up his empty glass. "It's just that it's un-ladylike."

Just as she was about to walk back over to the sink Rain paused, turning back to look at him with a narrowed blue gaze. "Are you saying that I'm not a lady?"

Domon growled in frustration. "No!" he practically shouted, grabbing her wrist and pulling her to him. "God! Why are you being so difficult today?"

Rain gave him a little shrug, setting the glass back on the counter. "Maybe it's because I got up so early…," she said, her words trailing off as she yawned, a hand coming up to stifle it.

Domon loosened the grip he had on her wrist, unconsciously beginning to stroke the flesh softly. "But why did you?"

Rain blinked, her fatigue forgotten as her blue eyes brightened once again. "Wait! You didn't answer my question!"

Ebony brows furrowed. "But I asked you first."

Rain gave him a mock pout. "Well if you were a gentleman then you'd—" The rest of her statement was cut short, the exasperated sigh escaping Domon's lips as he ran a hand through his hair doing such.

"It was good," he said, his annoyance apparent. "Satisfied?"

Rain beamed at him. She pulled her wrist out of his grip, placing her hands firmly on his shoulders as she dipped her head down low and touched her lips to his. Domon stilled for a moment, her eyes going wide in surprise. Though soon enough he relaxed, his eyes fluttering closed as his own hands came to rest upon Rain's hips, slowly wrapping around her back and pulling her to him. Domon's body was bombarded by different sensations—the utter bliss swimming through him from the feel of Rain's lips against his own being the most prominent. If he were made to stay like this forever, he'd have no objections. For at the moment, it didn't want the feeling to end.

Though as all good things do, the kiss concluded, his lips feeling cool and unprotected without the feel of Rain's against them. He didn't like the feeling, and wondered if he should pull her face back to him and he kiss _her_ this time. Only, he didn't exactly know how. It _had_ been two and a half months since he and Rain began living with each other, yet they'd only been coexisting within the same space. They ate together, watching television wrapped up in each others arms, shared the same bathroom, bedroom—hell, they even shared the same bed. However all they did in that bed, was sleep.

Unlike some couples who value physical contact more than anything, it was different for Domon and Rain. In a way, both were still in awe that they were actually together—that the other was present and could be called their own.

They hadn't gone far _physically_ in the past two and a half months, their contact limited to a brief kisses and mere holding. Yet they'd begun to develop a connection far greater than that any physical union could bring, and both of them treasured that greatly. Their relationship wasn't perfect—their constant arguments were proof of it. Yet the good far outweighed the bad. And things between the two were running as smooth as could be expected.

Yet that still didn't mean Domon knew how to kiss a female. Or that Rain was content with the long period of abstinence she'd been enduring since before the 13th Gundam Fight had begun. And despite the fact that she wanted to give something to Domon on his birthday, her discontentment and want for more in their relationship played in _major_ part in Rain planning what she had for later on that night.

Moving right along…

Domon's thoughts of kissing the woman he held in his grasp caused a light blush to stain his cheeks. Rain smiled at him, reaching up to stroke one of his cheeks lovingly. Domon's blush increased, and he released the grip one of his arms had around her waist in order to grab the hand, stopping it from its stroking and holding it softly within his own. He gazed up into Rain's eyes as he spoke to her. "Now," he said, his voice quavering a bit from their past activities. He cleared his throat, and Rain giggled a bit. "Are you going to tell me why you made me breakfast?"

Rain grinned. "I wanted to test out what I learned on you."

"And you couldn't have done that at dinner?"

Rain's lips pulled into a slight frown. "Didn't you say you liked it?"

"Yeah but why'd you get up so early to make it? I mean, it was only breakfast. And of all days, why today?"

Rain blinked, her features taking on those of disbelief when she looked back at him. "Domon," she said gravely, all traces of the once present humor now gone from her voice. "Today's your birthday."

Domon looked at her blankly. _"My birthday?"_

"Yes, your birthday." He continued to look at her blankly, and Rain decided to elaborate. "You know, the day you were _born_." She nearly laughed at the absurdity of the situation. Here she was explaining to someone else that it was _their_ birthday. She would have laughed, however the expression on Domon's face made her keep her mirth in check. He found nothing remotely funny about this…

"So?" he said, his brows furrowing a bit as confusion mixed into his features. "What does _that_ have to do with anything?"

"_So?"_ she repeated, blinking once again as she tried to restrain her incredulity. "What do you mean _so?_ Today's your birthday—the one day of the year when you can do whatever you want and everyone caters to you. It's fun—exciting." She gave him a smile, though the corners of her lips soon drooped into a frown at seeing Domon's grimace. "Domon…"

Domon shook his head, releasing her waist. "I don't celebrate my birthday, Rain."

"But why not?"

"It's just another day of the year."

"No it's not!" she exclaimed. "It symbolizes the day you were born and marks another year that you're here, _alive_."

"We both know that Rain. So what's the big fuss?"

"_What's the big fuss!"_ Rain nearly shouted, her patience beginning to run _very_ thin. "The _big fuss_ is that today you've been in this world for twenty-two-years. You should be happy!"

Domon merely blinked at her. "Is that all?"

Rain's expression dropped, her hands falling from his shoulders. "You're impossible Domon Kasshu!"

Domon rolled his eyes, pushing back the stool as he came to stand. "Look," he said, "I haven't celebrated my birthday for years. Ever since I left the colony to train, birthdays have held no meaning to me. So why should they now?"

"Because you're not just training now!" Rain shouted vehemently. "You're living to _enjoy_ life—not to just get stronger! And you should be happy to have made it another year!"

Domon sighed, shaking his head back and forth as he went towards the side staircase. "Whatever."

Rain could feel a pressure build within her—specifically behind her eyes—and she was sure she might start crying soon. "Why Domon?" she murmured desperately. "Why won't you celebrate your birthday with me?"

"Because it's something I just don't do!" he snapped, whipping around to face her. She gasped at his words, her eyes going wide at the annoyance laced in his words as she stared at him wordlessly. Feeling mildly guilty, Domon looked away from her, turning back towards the staircase. "I'm going to go take a shower and get dressed," he said distantly, the change of subject failing to quell the guilt that welled within him. He pushed it to the back of his mind. "Are you going in to the hospital today?" Rain nodded dumbly. Domon looked at her, opening his mouth to say something else—an apology maybe—however quickly shut it again. He knew he should apologize for snapping at her, but… Domon sighed. He turned away from the woman; taking the stairs two at a time as he sped towards the shower he was sure would ease his troubled mind.

Rain blinked when he disappeared from her sight, slowly raising a hand to wipe away the salty liquid that brimmed in her eyes. No, she wouldn't cry. What good would it do? Crying wouldn't make Domon change his mind—make him want to celebrate his birthday with her. The conversation she'd had with him just moments ago proved that not even words could. Rain sighed dejectedly, plopping down on the stool that had once been occupied by her boyfriend.

_He's impossible,_ she thought to herself, absently running her fingers over the countertop's bumpy surface. _He's so stubborn—so set in his ways. You can't talk him into **anything**._ She sighed again. _But then again, _she mused,_ Domon's a man of action_. _So this really isn't all that surprising…_

Then, like a brick to the face, it hit her. Rain wanted to smack herself for not realizing it before. This was Domon she was thinking about; _of_ _course_ words wouldn't work. He was a fighter; Rain had spent a whole year listening to him go on and off about how words were insufficient compared to the feelings he could express through his fists. Hadn't she just been thinking that he was a man of action…? How many times had she thought that before?

Rain's dejection faded rapidly, a plan beginning to form in its wake. _He may be a man of action, however if anything is to happen tonight, _she thought, a devious smirk pulling a her lips, _I must be a **woman**__of action as well… _

- - - - - - - -

Domon pulled his cloak over his shoulders with practiced ease, fastening the clasp quickly as he called out to his girlfriend that he was leaving. His hand was on the knob of the door and twisting when he heard her call back for him to wait.

Domon watched curiously as Rain rushed to meet him at the front door. "What is it?" he asked looking down at her. He wondered briefly if she was angry with him for snapping at her earlier as he ran his eyes over the pretty orange dress that hugged the soft curves of her lissome form. He gulped softly. God she was gorgeous.

Rain stopped when she was directly in from of him, her blue eyes alight with vivacity and a roguish gleam. She grinned as leaned up on her toes and wrapped her arms around his neck. The King of Hearts blushed deeply at the contact, an involuntary shiver running down his form as she closed the distance between them. "What's wrong?" he asked, more than a little unsettled by her close proximity.

"Nothing," Rain said sweetly, flashing him one of her priceless smiles. Domon blinked at her and opened his mouth to say something, however as soon as he had, Rain's lips were upon his. Domon's eyes widened in surprise; her cherry-painted orifice sending shocks through his form as it pressed softly against his.

Rain's hands slid from his neck to his face, Domon's eyes drooping closed as she cupped his cheeks and pulled his face down closer to hers. She loved the way he felt against her; the way the softness of his lips sent those delightful little chills down her spine—made that warmth form in her stomach and caused a familiar, aching, need to develop in her loins. She suppressed a moan at the feeling. The kiss was only meant to tease Domon, but God, if she didn't keep control of herself…

Rain brushed her tongue against his lower lip, reveling in feeling him quiver before pressing her lips more firmly against his. Her tongue darted out of her mouth and into Domon's, rubbing teasingly against the roof of his mouth as she took in his taste, which was distinctly that of the toothpaste and mouthwash he'd used not long before.

Rain retracted her tongue when she felt his respond against hers, smirking against his lips before pulling away from him. She leaned back so she was standing flat on her feet, her hands sliding down from Domon's cheeks to his cloak. The man took no actions to move; he remained with his head bowed near hers, his breaths coming out as shaky huffs against her forehead. It took a moment for Rain to realize that she was breathing the exact same way, and her eyes widened at the fisted hold she now had on his cloak.

Rain released the Domon completely, easing away a few wrinkles she'd created on his cloak with her hands. "There," she said when she was finished, taking a step away from the man. "Perfect." She briefly brushed her fingers over her lips, fighting to repress the urge to kiss the man again.

_Follow the plan Rain,_ she told herself, turning and beginning to walk away. However, Domon grabbed her wrist before she was an arms' length away from him, spinning her back around to face him. "Yes?" she asked sweetly, batting her lashes at him demurely. She took in the blush that stained his cheeks and giggled.

"W-why did you—I mean—" He paused, sighing. Releasing her wrist from his hold, Domon closed his eyes and ran a hand through his hair, a habit that was usually only brought to the surface when he was either irritated or nervous. Opening his eyes, he met her gaze hesitantly. "What was that for?"

Rain titled her head to the side and regarded him playfully. "Why?" she asked. "Didn't you like it?"

The question made Domon blush an even deeper shade of red, and he began to open and close his mouth rapidly, small, disjointed syllables flowing from his lips as he attempted to put together a coherent statement. Rain laughed at how much trouble he was having talking to her, the sound causing anger to overpower Domon's embarrassment, and he scowled at her. "This isn't funny!" he shouted indignantly, only causing the blue-eyed female to laugh even more.

"Oh don't worry Domon," she said when she'd sobered up, offering him a smile. "I like the feel of you lips too." She stood on her toes once again and placed a chaste kiss to his lips before pulling away. Domon regarded her with mild shock, and she smiled at him again before turning and walking away. Moments later the front door opened and closed, a very confused Domon racing out into the woodland that surrounded their home to clear his mind.

- - - - - - - -

In terms of eternity, six weeks may not count as half a blink, yet when it comes to living with another person, ten weeks can be a _very_ long time. You can learn a lot about a person in ten weeks—their character traits, likes and dislikes, mannerism, habits—the list goes on. And in ten weeks, you come to expect things from that person, a feeling of slight disconcertion beginning to develop when that person does something different than you expected.

This was the situation in front of the home Rain shared with her boyfriend when she returned from work that evening. She pulled up in her usual parking space by the front entrance of the house, her eyes searching the area as she stepped out of the vehicle. However, no matter how much she looked, the fact remained that Domon wasn't there. Rain had grown accustomed to his waiting for her when she returned home from work. It was a routine of there's; she'd get home at six and he'd usually be there waiting, scowling at her if she was late.

_Usually but not always, _Rain reminded herself, knowing that Domon had a tendency to get caught up in his training (or whatever else he did) while she was away. The fact was especially true if he had a lot on his mind.

One of Rain's hands lifted to her lips, pressing lightly against the soft flesh as her mind floated back to the second kiss she and Domon had shared earlier on in the day. He'd run out of the house afterwards, though she _had_ teased him about it._ Could it be that he's upset over it…?_ the brunette though tentatively. She immediately frowned at the idea, shaking her head in rejection. It wasn't like they'd never kissed before. Maybe not the way they had that morning, but they'd kissed. He was just embarrassed, she concluded, groaning in frustration. He was embarrassed and decided to stay out later than normal, so he wouldn't have to face her right away. It was silly, but believable. After all, his was _Domon_ she was talking about. Of course he was embarrassed.

Rain shut the door to her car, sighing once again. Wherever he was, she just hoped he got home soon. Rain looked up at the sky, watching as the sun slowly set in the west, basking the sky in colors akin to orange, gold, and pink. She looked away, heading inside the empty house to wait.

Rain proceeded to carry out her usually daily routine, going about the house cleaning before heading down into the basement to do the laundry she'd put off since the weekend before. Seven 'o' clock was upon her before she knew it, and Rain placed an order with one of the restaurants in the city for a delivery. Domon still wasn't home, yet Rain was sure he'd return before their dinner arrived. However the delivery boy came and went, the hour hand on the clock in the living room shifting to nine and _still_ there was no Domon.

"Where are you Domon?" Rain asked the kitchen walls softly as she sat at the counter and waited. She stared down at the cartons of food set in front of her unseeingly, her hands fisting the material of her dress within their grip as tears threatened to spill from her eyes. She bit her lip anxiously. _You can't be **that** upset with me about my kiss this morning… can you?_

The living room clock struck nine-thirty, and Rain had officially reached her limit, wearily wiping her eyes with the backs of her hands. She opened one of the cartons of food she'd ordered for herself and broke apart the disposable chop-sticks given with the meal, intent on eating without him. She only managed a few bites however, finding that the anxiousness and worry simmering within her being had crushed her appetite completely.

For the umpteenth time that day, Rain sighed, though this time angrily. She closed the cartons she'd opened and threw them into the fridge, slamming the gleaming white door in frustration. Scowling, climbed up the side staircase, not even bothering to retrieve a sleeping outfit from her drawer before she stormed into the bathroom for a shower. The steaming liquid relieved some of the tension that had coiled in her muscles, a few tears unconsciously leaking from her eyes as she, once again, sighed.

_So much for a special day,_ she thought bitterly, her tone leaving a foul taste in her mouth. She wasn't cut out for bitterness, and she groaned dejectedly at the thought. Rain let the bitterness leave her mind, all of her other emotions fading temporarily as she leaned against the cool tile of the bathroom wall, closing her eyes as she let the heated water beat down on her skin. She sighed. _Oh Domon where are you?_

- - - - - - - -

Despite the scorching shower Rain had taken, the air circulating in the bathroom was relatively cool, goose bumps immediately rising on the woman's skin when she stepped out the steamy chamber of the shower. She shivered reflexively, retrieving a towel from the rack by the sink and drying herself with it quickly. She wrapped it around herself when she was finished, searching for her robe that oddly wasn't hanging on the hook behind the door. She soon remembered that it was in one of the loads of laundry she'd done earlier on that evening—none of which she'd put away yet. Rain sighed, mentally berating herself for putting off her chores as she opened the bathroom door and stepped out into the even cooler air of the bedroom.

Rain's eyes immediately fell upon the figure sprawled out on the bed, his limbs stretched out comfortably and occupying its space entirely. Something in Rain's chest unclenched at the sight of the man, a quiet huff of relief escaping her lips as she gazed at him. Her relief was short lived, however; her eyes narrowing and an irritated frown marring her features as her past anger returned. She watched him silently, turning away from him and sitting down at her vanity heavily when he failed to acknowledge her presence.

"So," she started as she picked up her brush, running it slowly through her semi-wet coffee tresses. "Where were _you_ all day?"

"Out." Rain's shoulders tensed at his admission, however she didn't respond. Domon raised his head slightly when he didn't get a reply, quirking an eyebrow questioningly at her back. "Are you angry?"

Rain nearly snorted. "Or course not. I'm _happy_ I didn't know where you were all evening."

Domon's head dropped back down to the bed and he sighed. "You _are_ angry…"

"Well pardon me for having emotions," she rejoined snappishly, glaring at his reflection in the large mirror in front of her.

"It's not like I _meant_ to be late or anything." Domon rolled his eyes when she didn't respond. "I was on my way home when this lady's car broke down and she asked me for help. I didn't know what to do, so I stayed with her until help came."

Rain felt a pang of jealousy deep within her chest, and she lowered her eyes away from his image in the mirror and at the lacquered top of her vanity. She didn't want to be jealous of this mystery woman Domon had spent the evening with, however she couldn't help it. It was _her_ who'd planned to give him the night of his life after all. He should've been with _her_ this evening, not with some woman who was unfortunate enough to have car trouble on the side of the road. "Oh," she replied distantly, unable to keep the ice from her tone. "That's nice."

Domon's eyebrow twitched at her tone and he frowned, propping himself up on his elbows to stare at her back. "Why are you being so rude to me?" he asked. A thought struck him suddenly, his frown disappearing as his lips pulled into a smirk. "Unless it's because you're jealous."

Domon watched as Rain flinched outwardly at his words, and his head fell back in laughter. "O-of course I'm not jealous!" she exclaimed stammering, very much resenting the fact that she was and he knew of it.

"Yeah you are," he told her tauntingly, loving the way her back tensed as he teased her. "Jealous, jealous, jealous."

"Listen _you_." Rain turned around in her seat and glared at him, her brush clattering to the surface of the vanity with a thump. "I am NOT jealous of you spending all evening with some woman!"

Domon regarded her with amused mahogany orbs, smiling faintly as he spoke again. "She was sixty years old Rain."

The woman gasped softly, a light blush coming to stain her cheeks as his words sank in. "S-she was?"

"Yeah." Domon lay back down, his hands coming to cradle to back of his skull as he stared up at the ceiling. Rain turned back around in her seat and regarded her embarrassed reflection with shame. She couldn't believe she'd gotten so worked up over nothing… "And I never want to hear you say I'm not a gentleman again." Rain's head rose at the sound of Domon's voice. He snorted. "All that woman did was talk, talk, talk. She told me her complete family history since before the Gundam Fight began in a matter of four hours." Rain giggled a bit. "I was _so_ tempted to leave her there…"

"Domon," she scolded lightly.

"I'm serious, Rain! She just wouldn't stop _talking!_ And she kept touching my arm and telling me how 'strong' I was."

Rain grinned knowingly. "Well maybe she liked you…"

"Liked me!" Domon exclaimed in disbelief, sitting up once again. "She was sixty years old!"

"That doesn't mean a thing," she informed him offhandedly, picking up her brush and running it through her hair again.

"What?"

"All because a woman's old," Rain clarified, "doesn't mean she's lost her taste for a man."

Domon's features twisted in an emotion akin to horror. "S-so you're saying she _liked_ me!"

"All I said was maybe," Rain said calmly.

"Oh don't give me that crap!" Domon replied, scowling deeply. "You're implying that the woman liked me and think I was out having some sort of absurd affair with her!"

Rain shook her head at his statement, giggling softly. "Oh Domon I'm not thinking anything of the sort."

"My intentions were pure, okay?"

Rain grinned at her reflection, her head still shaking slightly with amusement. He could get so worked up over things… "I know."

"I didn't have any ulterior motives in mind when I helped that woman."

"I know you didn't."

He fell backwards onto the mattress once again. "I just kept her company while she waited for help to come."

Rain placed her brush on her vanity and turned in her seat to look at him again. This was getting repetitive. "Domon…"

Annoyed, the man sucked his teeth, staring up at the ceiling as he continued to scowl. "I even hurt my back trying to help her out," he grumbled.

Rain's eyes flashed with concern at his admission, the remaining good-humor in her being fading as she looked at him. "Is it bad?"

Domon snorted. "I just strained a muscle I think—nothing serious." Rain regarded him dubiously. "Besides, I've had aches _far_ worse than this one."

Rain was contemplative for a moment, her eyes widening as a new idea came to mind. "I have an idea!" she exclaimed as she stood, walking over to the side of the bed. "How about I give you a massage?"

Domon shifted his gaze to her face. "A massage?" he repeated dumbly, his brows furrowing in confusion. What did he need a _massage_ for?

Rain nodded. "As a birthday present."

Domon rolled his eyes and scowled at her once again. "I already told you Rain," he said firmly, "I _don't_ celebrate my birthday."

Rain grimaced a bit, the expression only lasting a moment before her lips once again pulled into a smile. "Fine, but at least let me do it to make you feel better. I have an obligation you know, as your doctor."

"_Rain…"_ Domon groaned, rolling onto his stomach to avoid her gaze.

"Don't you _'Rain'_ me," she admonished sternly, her hands coming to rest on her hips as she glared at him. "Go take a shower," she said. "And when you come back I'll massage your back for you." Domon sighed exaggeratedly, moving as slowly as he could as lifted himself from the bed and went into his drawer to get out a pair of pajama pants and boxers, stubbornly avoiding the gaze of the woman watching him as he headed towards the bathroom. She was so damn demanding. Domon knew better than to argue with the doctor side of Rain Mikamura though. It was like playing with fire; you were _bound_ to get burned…

Rain smirked triumphantly at the sight of the closing bathroom door. _Finally_, she thought happily; she had him right where she wanted him. She went into one her drawers and pulled out something she'd been saving for a while. It was a blue negligee, the deep blue material smooth and clingy, coming to rest at the middle of her thigh; it was spaghetti strapped, sporting seductive black lace around the bottom hem and around the _very_ improper v-cut of the neckline. Rain felt herself shiver with anticipation. _Only a little longer,_ she told herself. _Just a little longer…_

And with that final thought in her mind, Rain slipped out the room to change.

- - - - - - - -

Fifteen minutes later the King of Hearts emerged from bathroom, looking around the bedroom and sighing in relief that Rain was nowhere to be seen. He walked over to the bed and lay down on his back, closing his eyes and he hoped for sleep to coming quickly. He didn't need a massage. His back was fine. It may have been a little achy after today's escapade with that old woman on the highway, but, just as he'd told Rain, it wasn't anything serious. There was no convincing _her_ of that though.

Domon sighed, a small smile tugging at his lips despite his irritation. She may have been demanding at times, but he didn't mind much—not all the time at least. This massage thing though—_big_ no-no. Domon groaned at the thought of it, willing himself to relax as he prayed for the haze of unconsciousness to come and claim his mind. However his prayers failed, five minutes passing and he still finding himself awake. He could hear Rain's footsteps as she climbed up the stairs now, the soft sound causing discomfort to rise within him. God, why couldn't he just have fallen asleep?

The bedroom door creaked open, and Domon mentally groaned. _No use in pretending to be asleep,_ he told himself, sighing. Usually he'd pretend, but he was way too uneasy right now; he'd _never_ get away with it. Domon opened his eyes when he felt her approach him, the mahogany orbs bulging from their sockets when they landed on her figure. Domon blinked, keeping his eyes closed for a moment before deciding to open them again. He was seeing things. He had to be.

Slowly, Domon exposed his eyes to the room, the image he'd seen before he'd closed them greeting his dark gaze once again. He sat up, his jaw dropping as he took in the appearance of the person standing before him. This person—this _woman_—God, his _girlfriend,_ was barely wearing anything! A flimsy, blue nightdress clung to her body, oh so much visible from what it didn't cover. Domon gulped, staring at his girlfriend as if for the first time in years. He'd seen her in some revealing things, but God, nothing that had made her look like _this._ He could see so much of her—so much of her so clearly; her calves, her thighs, her arms, her shoulders, the curves of her hips, the swell of her— Domon cut the thought short. She was beautiful. And God, there was so much skin!

Domon sat up abruptly, bringing his dumbfounded gaze to Rain's face—blushing thoroughly as he fought to keep it there. "W-what are you wa-air-ing!" he stammered out, gulping as something deep within the pit of his stomach began to stir.

Rain smiled at him, the gesture oozing nonchalance yet coming off as rather sexy all the same. "Oh, nothing really," she said with a giggle, coming to stand at the side of the bed so Domon had to look up to see her face.

"I can s-see that," he managed, having difficultly keeping his gaze trained on her face rather than those two, shapely…

"Oh come on Domon!" Rain exclaimed, cutting the man's thought short. "You act like anyone's going to see me in this! It's not like I'm going to wear it to _work_ or anything."

Domon's eyes flashed angrily. "The hell you will!"

Rain rolled her eyes at his tone, however couldn't help the small smile that formed on her lips at the possessiveness in his words. "Well then stop complaining and lie on your stomach for me."

"_My stomach?"_ Domon quirked a confused eyebrow at her request. "For what?"

"So I can give you your massage, silly." She gave him one of her most angelic smiles. Domon's insides turned to mush at the sight of it and he blushed, coming to lie on his stomach at the bottom of the bed as he waited somewhat anxiously for what Rain was going to do next. He'd never had someone give him a massage before, and frankly, never wanted someone to give him one either—Rain included. Especially not when she was dressed the way she was Domon blood began to heat at the memory of her body encased in that little blue nightie, a blush spreading on his features immediately afterwards. _I don't need this,_ he grumbled to himself, irritated with the unknown feelings begin to build within him. He buried his face in the comforter and repressed the urge to growl.

Dimming the light the lamp on the bedside table was emitting to a soft glow, Rain looked at the fighter in the room with her. He was doing exactly as she'd said—lying on his stomach. His arms were crossed, acting as a pillow for his head which was facing away from her, towards the window. She walked over to him, sitting next to him on the bed. Slowly, Rain raised a hand to one of his shoulders, stroking it softly. The well-defined muscles twitched under her delicate touch, startling her a bit. Rain retracted her hand, staring down at the man lying on the bed for any sort of reaction from him. All he did was tense though, and her apprehension faded into nothingness. Running her fingers along the muscles of his shoulders more firmly, Rain frowned at the stiffness she felt beneath her digits.

"You're so tense," she whispered quietly, touching different areas of his back briefly; her frown grew even deeper at the tautness she felt. "You should have told me. I would have done this sooner."

"I'm fine," Domon snapped, his words a bit fiercer than he'd planned.

Rain ignored him. "You might think you're fine but—" Domon cut her off before she could finish.

"Look," he said, his tone, once again, a lot colder than he intended it to be. He was irritated though; he had all these feelings swimming inside of him and she wasn't helping. "I don't want your lectures," he told her. "Just get on with what you're gonna do. I wanna go to bed."

Something about his words hit Rain deep, and she winced. Something twisted inside her chest, and suddenly, she didn't care about a stupid birthday present anymore; about broadening their relationship and taking him to a level of pleasure and intimacy that she was sure he'd never experienced before. She didn't even care about giving him a massage.

She was about to get up and tell him to forget it when he propped himself up on his elbows and looked at her. She noticed him wince from the position and all feelings she had of just going to bed vanished from her mind. _He's in pain,_ her mind whispered. _He's hurting._ The doctor released a little sigh. She would give Domon that massage—even if it was to make him feel better and nothing more. She loved him too much not to.

Domon raised an eyebrow at her reflective expression. "Well?"

Rain shook her head, closing her eyes and sighing before opening them again and looking down at him. "Sorry," she apologized absently. "I got a bit caught up in my thoughts I guess." She smiled at him, though it didn't quite reach her eyes. "Lie back down."

Domon stared at her for a moment longer before following her instructions, getting back into the position he'd been in before. He gasped loudly when he felt her crawl on top of him. "W-what are you doing!" he nearly yelled, trying to sit up as she straddled his waist. He didn't want to force her backwards however, and only managed to turn his head and straining to see her face.

"Calm down," Rain told him, gently pushing his head back down onto the mattress. "I'm just going to massage your back. It's awkward for me if I do it the other way." Domon lifted his head to protest, however his head was pushed down was again. "Don't be such a baby Domon," she admonished. "It'll be over before you know it." Then, before he could lift his head to try and object again, Rain began to rub his back, her slender fingers seeking out spots of high tension and deftly working them away.

Domon's objection died in his throat, his mind blanking out as a feeling of utterly delight came over him. _God,_ he thought hazily. _This feels so good…_ His eyelids drooped shut, his part parting as a moan unconsciously escaped his lips.

Rain smiled at his little emission, however didn't allow herself to bask in joy that blossomed with her chest at hearing it. She remained on task, painstak-ingly working away the knots in his back with profession determination and precision. Twenty-minutes later she'd finished, running her hands down the expanse of skin of his back, a sense of need building within her at the sight of his muscles. _Beautiful,_ she thought, allowing herself to caress the muscles once more. An ironic smirk tugged at Rain's lips, and she closed her eyes and she sighed. _But not today…_

It was so unfair; she was sitting atop one of the most gorgeous men in the world—she was sleeping in the same bed as him on an every-night basis—yet she couldn't even touch him the way she pleased. The smirk left her lips and Rain sighed, suppressing the urge to cry out at the unfairness of it all. God, it was depressing…

Domon's eyes opened when he felt Rain's slight weight lift off of him, and he had to fight to keep from groaning at the loss of it. He blinked lethargically as Rain got to her feet. He arched his back, relishing in the fact that the aches that had once plagued him there were now gone. He sat up, turning to look at his girlfriend as she pulled back the blanket and got into bed.

He blinked at her. "What are you doing?"

"I'm going to bed," she responded distantly, not even turning her head to look at him.

"So you're finished?"

"Weren't you the one who told me to hurry up?" Domon opened his mouth to speak, jumbled syllables flowing from his lips as he blushed. Rain glanced at him briefly before getting into bed. "Well I hurried. And I'm going to bed." She sat up and turned off the lamp completely. The moon was out tonight though, and it bathed the room with its light, making it possible for one to see.

Domon stopped stuttering, crossed his arms over his chest as he stubbornly denied that he'd said the statement.

"Maybe not in so many words…" She yawned, stifling the sound with her hand. _The day's beginning to catch up with me,_ she thought closing her eyes, a sudden weariness seeping through her form, causing her to yawn again. "But you did." Rain turned on her side, facing away from him. "Goodnight, Domon."

The room was quiet for a few minutes, Domon remaining where he was sitting as he thought. Finally he came to a decision, climbing up to the top of the bed to tell his partner. "Rain," he whispered, shaking her shoulder a bit. "Rain, I'm sorry."

Rain groaned sleepily, halfheartedly trying to shrug off his hand. "Sorry for what?"

Domon blushed a bit. "You know what I mean…"

"Maybe," she said, yawning once again. "But your birthday is just an ordinary day for you. I'm not even going to bother with the whole birthday present thing anymore." She opened her eyes briefly before closing them again. "'Night."

Domon looked at her drifting form confused. "But I thought you said the massage was my birthday present…"

"Not exactly," she murmured sleepily. "I improvised a bit. What I was going to give you originally was better."

Domon gulped. "Better than the massage?"

Rain nodded slightly. "Much."

"A-and you're not going to give it to me now?"

"Didn't you say you wanted to go to bed?" she asked groggily, annoyed that her sleepiness was beginning to fade.

"Yeah but—" She cut him off.

"No buts Domon," she said. "Go to sleep."

"But I want my present now," he whined.

Rain turned on her back and looked at him, once again fully awake. "Look," she said. "You're starting to get annoying. Go. To. Sleep. Now good—" Domon cut her off.

"I said I want my present damnet!" he snapped, Rain eyes widening at his sudden admission. She stared at him wordlessly, her mouth slowly pulling a smile as mouth opened, laughter flowing from her lips. Domon glared at her. "What the hell is so funny?"

"Oh Domon…" Rain wrapped her arms arm his neck, pulling him down onto her. Domon blushed faintly at the contact, and Rain smiled. "You can have your birthday present if you want it."

Domon felt anticipation build within him, and he looked at the woman beneath him expectantly. "What is it?"

Rain smiled at him seductively—a gesture he'd never seen her use before. "Me," she whispered onto his lips, her breath tickling the flesh. "You can have me _all_ _night long."_

Domon blinked at her, far too disbelieving to blush. She wasn't serious; she _couldn't_ be. He didn't know how to make love to a woman. He was just beginning to learn how to _love_ one period. He opened his mouth to ask her if she was joking however she shushed him, whispering for him to be quiet as she grabbed his face. Her fingers were smooth like velvet on his skin, her grip soft yet firm as she held his face in her grasp.

"I love you," she murmured softly, slowly bringing her lips to his. And to Domon, nothing ever felt so good…

28


	3. Incident Three: The Talk

Fin: 6/27/05

**Author's Note:** Favorite chapter alert here. This one is _awesome_. I have a hard time believing that I wrote it.

**My Hand In Yours**

**Incident Three:** The Talk

Rain smiled as she drove, a refreshing breeze blowing her hair out of her face as she traveled down the familiar road on her way home from work. As usual, her day at the hospital had been hectic and tiring. However, when Rain had emerged from the building at the end of her shift and into the warm spring air, she couldn't stop the smile that pulled at her lips. It was beautiful out today—the sun so bright, sky so blue. The woman couldn't make herself appear to be annoyed and exhausted even If she wanted too. It was too nice out today for that.

Rain rotated the wheel as she turned off the road and into the driveway of her home, noticing the fact that Domon wasn't waiting outside for her yet barely paying it any attention. She and Domon had gotten beyond that little "phase" in their relationship. It wasn't necessary for Domon to wait for her to return from work, and, to be blunt, he had other things to do, as did Rain. Besides, ever since the breakfast he'd received on his birthday, Domon had designated her cooking as "safe"; Rain subsequently beginning to cook nearly his every meal. Cooking, however, wasn't exactly an easy task when Domon was around. And Rain preferred for him to be out during the time that she was cooking rather than around the house bugging her. Not that he was in the house much now, anyway.

In the past month, the King of Hearts had taken to staying out later, sometimes not returning until late in the evening. Sure, Domon was home waiting for her when she returned from work sometimes, but it wasn't everyday as it had been before. He said it was because he needed more time to train, seeing as he was staying in bed longer since he wasn't getting any sleep at night—a fact which, needless to say, he thought was all _Rain's_ fault.

Rain smirked at the man's reasoning, thinking back to the night of his birthday when it had all began. _A lot has changed since then,_ she mused, a certain fighter's bolstered self-confidence one of the more prominent things on the list. Domon wasn't afraid to touch her anymore, nor did he blush furiously when _she_ touched _him_. Rain had achieved exactly what she'd wanted that night; a connection that had, undeniably, brought she and Domon closer.

With the new closeness in Domon and Rain's relationship came good things, and, naturally, some bad. Ever since their first union there had been, obviously, more lovemaking, yet strangely more arguing as well—and over the silliest of things. From burnt toast and toilet lids left up to their plans for the rest of the year, Domon and Rain argued about _every_thing. Between them was an unabashed openness, a willingness to tell the other, at times, exactly what was on their mind—a willingness to walk out the house in the middle of an intense argument, and even to slam a door right in the other's face. But, giving the two some credit, these arguments were resolved _much_ quicker than they'd been before, the bed often acting as the mediator.

Rain chuckled to herself softly, rolling up the window of her car before turning off the ignition. She heard a noise, shifting her gaze to the front door in time to see Domon close the door. _So he's here after all, _she thought with a smile, barely paying attention to the sound of Domon's approaching footsteps as she gathered her purse from the seat next to her, opened the door and stepped out of the car.

"Rain!" The woman started, nearly falling back into the car at the urgent tone of Domon's voice. Domon gripped her by the shoulders, keeping her in place as she drew in a few breaths through her lips. She placed her hand over her heart, feeling the organ pound dangerously in her chest. God, what was he trying to do? Scare her to death?

Her breathing controlled, Rain lifted her gaze to that of her lover's, somewhat taken aback by the anxious and almost frightened look in his eyes. She frowned. "Is something wrong?"

Domon blushed at her question, loosening his grip on his girlfriend's shoulders but not letting go. "Well…," he started after a moment, looking down into her eyes before looking away. "I-I wanted to ask you something."

Rain arched a cinnamon brow in question. "Ask me what?"

"You see it's…" He stopped, catching her eye briefly before once again looking away. He knew he had to ask her. He'd been preparing himself for this all day. In his head he had everything perfectly rehearsed: he would ask, she would answer, and it would be over. They would go inside, she would cook him dinner, they'd try not to argue—make-up if they did—and then they'd go to bed. Just like any other day.

However, when it came time to do the actual _asking_, the words just wouldn't come. Domon tried to remember what he had said to her earlier when he'd imagined the scenario in his head, however his mind was completely blank; his conviction in what he was going to ask her completely gone, leaving him with only a very embarrassing question right on the tip of his tongue. His palms began to sweat. No way. He couldn't do this. No, no, no, no, _no_. He stole a quick glance at Rain, the spark of interest in her gaze unmistakable. Domon fought the urge to curse aloud. But damnet, there was no way he was getting out of telling her _now_. His blush intensified at the thought, and Domon mentally groaned. God, how did he get himself _into_ these situations?

Rain watched as Domon silently warred with his emotions, her worry growing with each passing moment. "It's what?" she asked coaxingly, taking one of his hands off her shoulder and clasping it within one of her own. She'd meant it as a comforting gesture to get him talking, however gasped when she felt the moisture on his palm. "What's wrong? Are you okay?"

Domon shook his head. "No, I'm _not_ okay," he answered truthfully. "I—" He stopped at feeling the warm palm of his girlfriend on his forehead. His brows furrowed in confusion. "What are you doing?"

"Checking to see if you have a fever." She frowned. "You're temperature feels okay to me. Maybe I should use the electronic thermometer inside."

"It's not that I'm _sick_ or anything," he explained. "It's just that…" He paused once again, sighing as he gathered the last of his nonexistent confidence and leveled his lover with a look. "Listen," he said, "about what we did, on my birthday."

A small gasp escaped the woman, her lips pulling into a smirk as realization lighted her eyes. "We did it on your birthday alright," she responded suggestively. "And the morning after, and that afternoon before I made lunch." She stopped as she grinned at him. "Now _that_, Domon, was fun." He turned an impossible shade of red. "And then there was last night—" Domon cut her off before she could continue.

"Yeah," he choked out, trying his hardest to keep himself from running. "There's something I want to know about that…"

"And that would be…?" She shot him a sexy grin as she took a step closer to him, her chest pressing against his with the barest of touches. "Do you want to do it again?"

Domon gulped, closing his eyes as his body began to react to her close proximity. "It's not that Rain…"

"It's not?" she responded distractedly as she released the hand she'd been holding and placed both her hands on his chest, relishing the feel of his muscles contracting beneath her fingertips as she ran her hands down his trunk.

"It's just that we…" He trailed off, fighting the need to pull the woman against his chest, his body pulsing with the need to feel her against him. Isn't that what had gotten them in this situation to begin with, though? All the touching and the kissing and the… Domon wisely cut the thought short, all the breath leaving his chest when he felt his girlfriend's lips on his throat. "We…"

Rain gave him another kiss, this time right above the neckline of his tee. "We what?" she asked, her tongue darting out of her mouth to taste his skin. He hadn't been in the shower yet; she could tell by the salty taste of sweat on his skin. She couldn't bring herself to care at the moment either, darting her tongue out her mouth for another taste.

Domon shivered at the feel of Rain's tongue against his skin. He closed his eyes and fought the urge to groan. "It's… just that we… do it so much."

Rain stopped what she was doing, blinking as she processed Domon's words. Slowly she raised her gaze to his, unmasked disbelief shining within her eyes as she regarded him as if he'd grown a second head. Honestly, what man said…? "Are you _sure_ you're okay?" She placed her hand on her forehead before he could respond, frowning when she got the same results as before—a nice, cool forehead.

The fighter rolled his eyes at her show of concern for his health. "Look," he said, irritation obvious as he removed her hand from his head. "I'm not sick, okay?" Rain's grimace grew at his tone, and Domon shoved a hand roughly through his hair at the look she gave him.

"I take it you're not interested in—" He cut her off before she could finish.

"No!" he shouted, startling the woman not even a foot away. "Look." He glanced away yet again. "It's just that we do it so much…"

"…And that's a bad thing?"

"Well, yeah. I mean…,"—he paused as he took a breath—"aren't you pregnant already?"

"_What?"_ Her shock clear on her features, Rain took a step away from the man, holding on to the still-open car door for support. She had to remind herself to breathe, staring at the man before her with eyes wide with both incredulity and fright.

Domon regarded her dubiously, surprised by her reaction. She was the doctor, after all. Shouldn't she have expected this? The uncertain expression soon faded, a customary scowl coming across his features as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Why are you acting as if this is some big shock to you or something? You're supposed to be the medical professional so you should know: babies come from having sex. And you just said we do it a lot. So you should be pregnant, right?"

Rain blinked. "Okay," she said, briefly looking away and rubbing her temples before lifting her gaze to his. "Let me get this right; all because you and I make love… well, _a_ _lot_, _you_ think, that _I'm_ pregnant, with _your_ child?" She spoke slowly, looking at him when she'd finished to see if she had it right.

Domon nodded slowly, a frown slowly pulling at his lips at seeing how his girlfriend was responding to the topic. God, he should've just kept his mouth shut and waited for _her_ to come to _him_. "Well…"

Rain sighed, her fatigue from her day at work returning. "I'm not pregnant, Domon," she said firmly, gesturing with her head for him to move out of the way as she closed her car door. He did as he was told, following behind Rain as she started for the house.

"But how do you know?" he asked as they walked through the threshold of their home. He closed the door behind himself, barely paying attention as he twisted the lock into place. "Did you get tested to see if you were?"

Rain shook her head. "No," she answered calmly as she took off her jacket, hanging it nearly on the coat rack beside the door. "I didn't."

Domon's brow twitched with irritation. "Then how do you know?"

"Because," she said simply, "I do." She gave him a smile, turning away as she started on her way to the kitchen to start on dinner. She was tired and hungry and _really_ didn't feel like being interrogated by her boyfriend at the moment. It _was_ somewhat funny, however Rain knew better than to laugh. Domon had obviously thought this through, and to laugh at him now would have nothing short of disastrous results—i.e. a sulking and thoroughly intolerable King of Hearts. She sighed as she moved further towards the hall that led to the kitchen. That man and his moods.

"Hey, wait a minute!" Domon was directly behind the woman in two long strides. He grabbed her by the arm, twisting her around to face him and holding her firmly against his chest as he regarded her with irritation. "Are you saying that you could be carrying my child right now and you don't even know it?"

Rain opened her mouth to respond however closed it upon processing his words. She smiled pleasantly, warmth blossoming within the pit of her stomach as she was suddenly reminded of the reason why she loved him. She placed a hand on his chest. "I already told you, Domon," she said. "I'm not pregnant."

The King of Hearts was far from convinced. "But if you didn't get tested, then how do you know?"

Rain quirked a brow at him. "Weren't you the one who saying that I was the doctor in the relationship? Well, doctors know these things."

"But could even a doctor tell if she were pregnant? I mean, without the test and all?"

Rain closed her eyes and sighed. _This is getting annoying,_ she thought as she opened her eyes, resisting the urge to roll her eyes at the determined look in Domon's. Something occurred to her then and she gasped, her lips pulling into a small, roguish smile afterwards. To hell with Domon's moods. She was going to have some fun with this…

"Look," she said, deceptively calm, "I know because, in order for a woman to be pregnant, her period has to stop."

"Period?" he repeated as his brows furrowed in confusion. "What's that?"

"Menstruation," Rain supplied. She nearly broke into a fit of giggles at the dumbfounded expression on his face, covering her slip-up with a well-placed cough. "You know, when a woman bleeds every month?"

"You mean with the pads and the…?" Rain nodded. He paled. "_Oh_…" He was quiet for a moment, thinking. "So, you've gotten yours?"

"No," she lied, biting her lip to keep from smirking.

Domon frowned. "Then how do you know you're not pregnant?"

"Because," she explained, "I haven't had my period since the Gundam Fight ended. And that was almost four months ago, meaning that, if I _am_ pregnant, the father of my child would be the man whom I slept with last while the Gundam fight was still taking place."

He looked baffled for a moment, his eyes darkening as he processed the meaning of her words. The hold on her arm tightened, pulling her more firmly against his chest as his face contorted with unrestrained rage. "And who the hell was _that_?"

Rain winced at his volume, forcing herself to smile as she looked up into those angry mahogany eyes. "Oh, Domon, I was just kidding!"

"Kidding! People don't _kid_ about things like that!"

She didn't argue the point. "You're overreacting," she told him, placing a hand on his arm as a placating gesture. "And my period came the week before you're birthday."

"But that was last month! Not this one!"

"I'm a bit… irregular with my cycle," she told him, knowing that he clearly had no clue as to what she was talking about by the look on his face. "It means that my period may not come at the same time every month, or even every month for the matter."

"But what if the reason why it hasn't come this month isn't because you're irregular?" he asked. "What if it's because you're pregnant?"

Surprise flitted through the young doctor's gaze, the thought having yet to have crossed her mind. She went still for a moment, baffled as to why the thought hadn't occurred to her before. She shook her head. No, she wouldn't doubt herself. Domon wanted an answer—not a "maybe" or an "I don't know." She'd take the test later. And if he was right, then they would deal with it then.

"I'm not," she said resolutely, giving the man a reassuring smile. Domon exhaled in relief, and for the first time, Rain got a good sense at how concerned he had been. Her eyes softened, gaze filling with tenderness as she stared at the man in her life. She reached up and cupped one of his cheeks, gently stroking the tanned flesh with her thumb. "You were really worried about it, weren't you?"

Domon looked at her as if she'd grown an extra nose. "Of course I was," he said, arching a dark brow in question. "Why wouldn't I be?"

Rain shook her head in dismissal, unable to stop her smile as she closed her eyes, stood on her toes and pressed a soft kiss to her lover's lips. Domon mimicked the action, adding more pressure to the contact as he leaned forward, wrapping his other arm around Rain's waist as she threaded her fingers through his hair.

Rain's eyes fluttered open as she broke away her nose brushing against his before he kissed her once again. "I take you believe me now," she said once he'd pulled away, one of his arms still wrapped securely around her waist.

Domon smirked at her. "I guess so…" Rain giggled a bit at his silliness, breaking free of his hold as she once again started towards the kitchen. He stared after her for a moment, smirk disappearing as something crossed his mind. He reached forward and grabbed her arm, stopping her from moving. "One more thing."

Rain tilted her head to the side as she regarded him. "What is it?"

"Are you _sure?"_

- - - - - - - - - - - -

Just proof that Domon in fact _does not_ believe babies come from the stork. Interesting, no?

Review. Please.


	4. Incident Four: The Cookies

**Author's Note:** Yes, yes, it has been awhile, but it's always a while with me, no? Anyway, hopefully, I shall be getting things out sooner to you guys.

I wrote this chapter about two years ago and I wasn't going to use it, however I've decided to. My writing style back then is far different than it is now, however I don't fancy rewriting the whole chapter so I'm not. I'm posting as is, and damnet, we're all just going to have to deal with it

The next two chapters will be of similar birth. They will be old. We will deal with it. Again. And you may get a chapter next week. Maybe.

**Important: **This chapter actually goes _before_ the previous chapter, as soom of you may notice. If I go back and switch the chapters around, people may get confused and thing think that I haven't updated because the new chapter isn't the last chapter. I hope that makes sense.

Enjoy!

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**My Hand In Yours**

**Incident Four:** The Cookies

It all started when Rain baked a few batches of cookies for the fundraiser hosted at the hospital where she worked. She wasn't the greatest at making meals, however she was fairly good at dessert. She was confident that she wouldn't kill anyone if she baked cookies for the fundraiser rather than if she made some paella or something—which had actually made Domon quite sick a few days earlier, although he hadn't told her. Anyway, Rain made ten batches of cookies when she got home from work. They were of different varieties: oatmeal raisin, chocolate chip, walnut, butter and lemon. While she was wrapping the cookies up in the decorative boxes she'd bought for them, she'd dropped a tray of oatmeal raisin cookies, thus ruining them.

Knowing that she couldn't just bring twenty-four or four kinds of cookies and then twelve of one, Rain decided that she just wouldn't take the oatmeal raisin cookies into work with her. So she finished wrapping up all the rest of the cookies and left the twelve oatmeal raisin cookies on the kitchen table.

"Rain, I'm back," Domon called as he entered the front door. He'd been home when she first arrived but went out to "finish something" in his words. Rain knew better than to ask what.

"I'm in the kitchen, Domon," she called back as she placed the boxes in the refrigerator.

"What are you doing?" he asked as he watched her struggle to open the fridge door with four boxes in her hands. He remained standing at the door, knowing that he should help, however far too amused with watching her trying to do it on her own.

"Nothing, really," she responded. "I just finished my baking."

"Baking?" His narrowed his eyes at her back, which was all he could see of her at the time. "What were you doing baking?"

Finished with her task, Rain closed the refrigerator door and looked at him. "I told you a few days ago that I was baking for the fundraiser at the hospital."

"No, you didn't. You said you were _thinking_ about baking for the fundraiser at the hospital." This whole situation wasn't good in Domon's opinion. He didn't want to come home and find out that his girlfriend had killed someone with her cooking. She'd almost done it to him before. (Point in case, the paella incident).

"Well, I made up my mind, and I did."

He rolled his eyes at her response. "Well, _you_ look like you had a good time," he said dryly, smiling at her apparel. She had a white apron tied around her waist, all different kinds of stains from her day of baking all over it and on her shirt, plus her arms. She'd even managed to get some flour on her right cheek and forehead, which he really didn't know how but didn't dare question. He decided then that he really didn't care if she killed someone. Rain just looked too damn cute in her little baking apparel.

"Ha, ha, ha. Very funny," Rain commented, knowing good and well how she looked. She walked over to the table and picked up a cookie. "But since you're here, you can be my taste-tester."

"I can be your what?" Domon asked incredulously, watching Rain come closer to him with the cookie from hell in her hand.

"You can taste my cookies and tell me what you think. You know, if they're good or not. It's oatmeal raisin. Here, taste it." She placed the cookie in front of his face.

Domon gulped hard. He feared the cookie in front of his face more than he feared any opponent he'd ever faced. Because with that cookie came a lot of responsibilities. If Domon decided to eat that cookie, he would not only be risking his safety, but he also had an obligation to tell Rain what he thought of it. And if he knew Rain like he thought he did, he knew that cookie would taste like pure baking soda. It's something she'd done as a child. She'd put too much baking soda in a batch of ginger snaps and it was all that you tasted when you ate them. The baking soda had even over powered the taste of the ginger. If he told Rain that her cookies were… distasteful, she'd get sad and probably cry. And Domon didn't want Rain to cry. Especially not because of something he said.

"Domon, take the cookie," Rain said again. She slowly began to see the panic on his face. "Is something wrong?"

"I—" Domon started, preparing himself to lie. "I don't like those kinds of cookies."

Rain's brow furrowed at his statement, which she knew was a lie. "You don't eat oatmeal raisin cookies?"

Yeah, that was it. "No, I don't." There was a lot more confident in his lie.

Rain narrowed her eyes at him. "That's impossible."

He looked a little shocked. "It is?"

"Yes, it is. You use to eat the oatmeal raisin cookies my mom would make for my lunch when we were children, remember?"

Domon was beating himself to a pulp internally for forgetting such an important fact. He _loved_ oatmeal raisin cookies. When he was a kid he'd kill for one. Literally. He and Rain would always switch the cookies their mothers gave them for lunch. Domon gave Rain his three lemon cookies for her three oatmeal raisin. It wasn't that he didn't like lemon cookies, it was just that Rain hated raisin's with a passion, and hence, she didn't like oatmeal raisin cookies.

"Well, I don't like them anymore," Domon countered, not wanting to admit that he was lying, even if it was to protect his own safety.

Rain stared at him startled by his words. "You—Domon Kasshu—don't like oatmeal raisin cookies anymore?" she asked in disbelief.

Domon had to admit, this sounded like a stupid lie even to him. But he couldn't go back and change it so he just kept up with it. "No. I don't."

"I don't believe you," Rain said quickly.

"Believe what you want," Domon replied in his infamous indifferent tone. "But that much is true. I'm not going to be your guinea pig because I don't eat oatmeal raisin cookies."

Rain listened to him, slowly crushing the cookie with each word he spoke. Domon watched as the crumbled cookie fell to the floor and looked up into the angered blue depths of his female partner. "You're unbelievable, you know that?" she said angrily.

He looked at her confused, still not quite use to all the mood swings that she went through within a matter of seconds. Lacking anything to say that would satisfy her, he chose an alternative. "Are you going to clean that up?" he asked, referring to the cookie crumbs on the floor.

"This is insane!" she shouted suddenly, throwing up her hands into the air out of her apparent frustration. She dropped the remainder of the cookie that was still left in her hand to the floor and began to walk away.

"Where are _you_ going?" Domon asked. He was used to being the one walking away. She was the one who slammed the doors. He heard her mumble something about laundry. And, there it was. The basement door slammed and she went down the staircase.

The problem started with Domon's lie. Seeing as there was absolute nothing wrong with Rain's cookies, the lie was unnecessary. However Domon hardly knew that the cookies wouldn't give him a case of stomach cramps, so, to him, the lie _was_ necessary. To his well being.

The problem escalated big time a few minutes after Rain went down into the basement and Domon realized he was hungry. He looked in the refrigerator and realized that Rain needed to do some major grocery shopping. His stomach growled. He started searching in the cabinets for something decent to eat however everything in them had to be cooked. That was Rain's job and right now he knew better than to ask her to make him something to eat.

So there they were on the table, those eleven perfectly shaped cookies.

His brain tried to tell him to stop. He knew he couldn't eat those cookies. They'd kill him. _Rain_ would kill him; he'd just lied and said that he didn't like them. But his stomach didn't care, and, at the moment, that part of his anatomy had all decision making privileges. It wanted food. He took a bite out of one of the cookies on the plate and nearly choked in surprise. He didn't know if it was because he was hungry or just because they _were_, but Rain's cookies were good. _Really_ good.

Needless to say, five minutes—scratch that—three minutes later, those eleven cookies were gone and a certain dark-haired King of Hearts temporarily satisfied.

It was around ten-thirty when Rain finished the laundry. She came upstairs with the laundry basket in hand and went upstairs to the bedroom to put away the newly washed clothing. She went downstairs to the kitchen to make something quick to eat for the two. She'd calmed down since the whole cookie incident with Domon, telling herself that she'd overreacted. And who knows, maybe Domon didn't like oatmeal raisin cookies anymore. But then she looked at the kitchen table and saw the empty plate. And if _she_ hadn't eaten any of her cookies, then they should've still been there right? But they weren't. Meaning someone had eaten them. Someone like Domon.

The woman grinned in a self-satisfied manner as she walked out of the kitchen and into the living room. She _knew_ he'd been lying to her; she _knew_ it. She stood in the door frame and watched Domon flip through channels on the couch from behind.

"Is something wrong?" Domon said out of the blue, startling the woman.

"You can say that," she said, quickly regaining her composure. She pushed a few stray hairs behind her ear. "The cookies that I had on the table, they're gone."

_The cookies are gone, _Domon gulped. _Because I ate them._ "So what?"

"Do you know what happened to them?"

"Do you really need to ask?"

"Not really. I already know you ate them."

"So why are we having this conversation?"

"Because _you_ said that you don't like oatmeal raisin cookies anymore. But now the cookies I made are gone."

Annoyed that he had gotten caught in his lie and the fact that she was throwing in his face, Domon got angry. "Are you trying to start an argument?"

"_Trying to start an argument? _No, I don't think so. I just want to know why you lied to me to begin with."

"Does it really matter? You wanted me to taste your stupid cookies and I did. Are you happy now?"

Angered by his attitude, Rain's voice began to rise. "No, I am _not_ happy! You lied to me! You said that you didn't like oatmeal raisin cookies anymore and then a few hours later I come back and they're gone. Doesn't that sound the slightest bit strange to you?!"

"You're just _trying_ to start today, aren't you?" Domon said angrily, standing up to face the woman completely.

"I didn't start this! _You_ did!"

"How did _I_ start this?"

"You started this when you lied to me! Why can't you just be honest with me?"

"What are you trying to say? That I lie to you all the time?"

"I didn't say that!"

"Well, you're implying it!"

"You're such a baby, Domon!"

"I am not!"

Rain stormed off angrily for the second time that day. This time, she went upstairs to their bedroom and locked herself in. Domon, on the other hand, went to the little cave nearby their home to go calm down. Also, to give Rain some time to calm down as well. He knew that he'd upset her, he could tell by the way that she slammed the bedroom door. Yes, he made a science out of the way she slammed doors. And this time, it was bad. It wouldn't be good when he went to bed.

However, Domon never really did get to go to bed that night. He got some sleep, but on the living room sofa, for Rain wouldn't open the bedroom door when he knocked. The next morning, Rain didn't say a thing to him. She simply made herself a cup of coffee and drank it silently while Domon sat at the counter eating a bowl of hot cereal—the only thing he could make without burning—and watched her ignore him. She left a little while later without even saying goodbye, taking her cookies with her.

It continued for four days.

Domon tried to talk to her. He really did. Rain wanted to know why he lied to her and an apology for the whole incident, something Domon wouldn't give. She knew she was being stubborn, however she felt she had the right to be angry this time. He had no reason to lie to her; he _never_ had to lie to her. The sooner he realized that, the better.

She received no apology from Domon. He seemed to be too stuck on trying to stammer out an adequate hello that she was usually frustrated with him by his third word and promptly marched away.

It made something within her squirm uncomfortably to think that she'd moved straight passed stubborn to childishness. By the fifth day, she was throwing around the idea of talking to him again in her head, however a phone call she received from Dr. Kasshu that day at work finally made up her mind.

"_Rain, he's really distraught," _he'd said to her. _"He doesn't know what to do anymore. You not talking to him is killing him."_

She'd only been trying to teach Domon a lesson. She hadn't meant to hurt him.

Dr. Kasshu also told her the reason why Domon had lied to her to begin with and, she had to admit, he had good reason to believe her cooking may have been lethal. He'd gotten enough stomach aches from her dishes in the past. Her cooking skills had just recently began to improve.

That night, when she returned home from work, he'd been sitting at the living room sofa, the same place he'd been when she'd accosted him five days before.

Ran sat down beside him, her eyes trained on the glowing TV set before her. She could feel Domon watching her though she didn't look at him until the program went on commercial. She used the remote to turn down the volume of television, then turned to him and said, "You know you can trust me, right?"

Domon gave her a funny look. "Of course I know that."

"Then you know that you don't have to lie to me—about anything."

There was a pause.

"Even if you think that the truth is going to hurt my feelings."

Slowly, he nodded, and Rain smiled at him, giving him a quick peck on the cheek before turning up the volume on the television. She scooted closer to him and he threw an arm over her shoulder. They spent the rest of the night wrapped up together on the couch, the bedamned oatmeal cookies the farthest thing from their minds.

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As always, please review! 


	5. Incident Five: The Dark Remains

**AN:** Hi everyone! This chapter is coming at you pretty quickly, huh? Yes, well, that's because I wrote it about two years ago. Yes, that does mean that it is my old writing and not my new, better writing, but deal with me. I can't rewrite this chapter, nor the chapter that's coming after this--which I might break into two separate chapters, but I hardly think that is too important. It's written in present tense--yes, I know; you can kill me if you want--and I hate the writing, but I love the idea. And if you hadn't read TMTL when it was first posted as Unbreakable Bonds, then you'll love the next chapter too.

* * *

**Too Much Too Little**

**Incident Five:** The Dark Remains

"Hey, Rain," Domon says softly as he looks down at the sleeping woman, "wake up."

Rain groans and turns her head away from him. "Go away. Come back later."

Domon chuckles as he pulls the blanket off her small frame. He, dressed in his usual black pants and hunter green shirt minus the tan jacket and cloak, seems to tower over the woman. "Come on. It's late."

"Define late," she says into her pillow.

"Seven thirty-five now get up."

"Don't you have some training to finish or something?" Rain asks as she bends herself into a ball for heat.

Domon's brow furrows at her question. "No."

"Why not?" she whines.

Domon is offended by her words. "What? Do you want me out the house or something?"

"You're interrupting my sleep so yes, I do want you out."

Domon crosses his arms and looks down at her. _This is ridiculous. No one can be this lazy._ "You act like you're dying of exhaustion or something. You only went to work yesterday."

"Well contrary to what you may think Domon, my work is very hard. If a certain somebody wasn't out until after midnight doing God knows what last night he would know that I didn't come in until late either." Her voice is low and sharp. "Ten fifteen to be exact, and I think we both know that I'm supposed to be home by five. This is because of a major bus accident that occurred right before my shift was to end and sent sixteen people to the emergency room. That means I had even more people to care for on top of those for whom I was already responsible. And let me tell you Mr. Kasshu, it was fun. I even had the privilege of being vomited on by a six-year-old with the stomach flu _twice_ before I managed to get out. So please excuse me if I want to sleep past seven thirty five on my day off."

There's a long silence in the bedroom before Domon speaks. He hates it when she gets bitter with him. And to top the bitterness off, she's being sarcastic too. "You didn't look tired when I seen you last night."

"I couldn't afford to be tired. I had housework to do." She thought of the three loads of laundry that she'd done which mostly consisted of HIS jeans and whatnot. She never knew how he went through so many pairs of jeans a day. It was a big change since when they were involved in the Gundam Fight when he barely changed his clothes once every three days. And the kitchen was an absolute _mess_ after he'd come in and made himself lunch earlier on in the day, just like always. She wanted to take a nice long bath and relax when she got in, but she knew none of that was going to happen with the way the house looked.

If there's one thing she remembered about her mother before she died, it was that she never left the house a mess before she went to bed. Mrs. Mikamura made sure that the house was spic and span when her family awoke in the morning.

Rain just took a quick shower, changed into her house clothes and got to work.

"If you were so tired then why didn't you just leave it until today?"

"I did it yesterday so I wouldn't have to do it today. I was planning on sleeping late and not doing anything."

Domon looks down at Rain dressed in one of his tee shirts. He lies down next to her and strokes her back. "Was it that it that bad at the hospital?"

"Horrible. Two doctors called out. I thought I was going to die." Which was very true. It was times such as those that made Rain wish that she never applied for a job at the hospital where she worked. Heaven's Door Medical Facility was a nightmare everyday yet some days things got a lot worse there. Days like yesterday. It wasn't that Rain couldn't take the work. It was just that it was wearing her down for no reason. She was a doctor, not a machine—which the administration at Heaven's Door expected you to be. A colleague of hers had just transferred to a different hospital, Sacred Heart it was called. Rain was thinking about joining her.

Domon grins as he pulls her close to him, leaving no space between their two bodies. He nuzzles her neck from his position behind her. "I'm glad you didn't."

"Sometimes I wish I did. Then maybe you'd let me get some sleep," Rain says as she yawns.

"I doubt it," Domon jokes.

Rain turns in is arms and faces him, her beautiful blue eyes searching. "You're making me get up?" she said helplessly. But even though she is as tired as an athlete who just ran a 1200 meter race at the Olympics, if Domon wants her to get up, she'll get up. Even if it was just so he wouldn't call her lazy.

"No. Just kidding." Domon smiles, catching her off guard. "Get some rest, okay? I promise I won't bother you again."

"Domon," Rain says softly, raising her hand to his jaw and strokes it. "I didn't mean to be so rude to you earlier. I'm sorry, okay?"

Domon kisses her on the forehead. "I know. Just go back to sleep."

Rain nods and leans her head into his chest. The King of Hearts holds her there until she falls asleep, relishing the feeling of the frail woman in his arms. When he is sure she is in a deep sleep, he releases her from his hold and pulls the blanket over her. He then leaves their home to go explore the lands around their new home further.

Rain awakes from her slumber quite a few hours later, in the early afternoon. She still doesn't feel as refreshed as she should after having been sleep for such a long amount of time but she knows that she needs to get out of bed before Domon gets in and makes her. She puts a pair of shorts which are unseen beneath the huge shirt she is wearing seeing as it belongs to Domon. Rain then heads into the bathroom to splash some water on her face to further awaken herself. She dries her face with a hand towel. As she yawns she feels like she's about to be sick. She races over to the toilet and opens it, not wanting to have an accident on the floor to clean up. However nothing happens.

Rain blames the feeling on the fact that she hadn't eaten in a while. The woman heads downstairs into the kitchen to replenish herself of much needed nutrients. She looks over her beautiful kitchen and assesses the amount of damage the King of Hearts had made there today. _Not as much as I expected,_ Rain thinks as she looks at her stove which isn't the tainted color she expected it to be after having Domon cook on it, however it is a little dirty. She sighs, putting her own food needs aside and deciding to clean up Domon's mess first.

She may have not been a good cook, but she was damn sure better than Domon, a man who burnt almost everything he made. Sometimes she thought that _he_ needed the cooking classes she was taking more than even she did. Domon would object to this, saying that he was a "man" and didn't need to learn how to cook to which Rain would always get angry and exclaim how sexist he was. An argument would subsequently break out.

This was typical for the two, though. _We argue over everything that a couple could possibly argue about,_ Rain muses with her self as she gets a rag out of the sink and begins to scrub the stove. Not too long ago, Rain had bought Domon a pack of white tee-shirts one day while she was out shopping and they got into this whole big argument about why she didn't buy him a darker color.

_I told him that he needed to brighten up his wardrobe a little but, of course, Domon Kasshu would never do that. God forgive if he has a color other than black, navy blue or gray on his skin. I wonder how he wears that stupid jacket all the time. Its light, you know. But then again, Domon being Domon, he probably never even noticed. _Rain giggles at the thought as she rings the rag out and contemplates whether or not to ask him._ I better not. He'd just accuse me of trying to start another argument, which I would be doing. He's so damn sensitive all the time. I wish he'd just grow up and stop acting like a big baby. Like the time with the cookies…_

A frown graces the woman's pink lips at the thought. She begins to scrub the stove again even though she's already cleaned it. The though is infuriating. It had to be about three weeks ago that the two got into the fight over the cookies. A rather big fight at that. No one would believe that the two of them would stop speaking to each other or even having direct physical contact with each other over twelve miserable little cookies.

Rain smiles and she stops scrubbing the stove. Even though it had been a pretty fierce argument, Rain has to laugh at the fact that he lied to her just because he thought her cookies would kill him. The brunette places the rag she was using to scrub the stove with back in the sink. She looks around the kitchen. _He must've made something quick,_ she tells herself as she starts for the living room.

She then thinks of the day not too long ago—when he'd grabbed her right when she'd gotten out of her car and asked her is she were pregnant. _He was so worried, _she thinks, smiling. _It was really sweet of him to be so worried, though. I mean, he _does_ have reason to believe that I might be._

Memories of their first "encounter" make a dreamy look appear across the woman's face. _God, I love him,_ Rain thinks to herself. _I love him so much it hurts._ Just then the phone rings. Rain snaps out of her thoughts and hurries to the kitchen to answer it.

"Hello?" Rain says as she picks up the phone in that ever so pleasant voice of hers. She looks at the clock and begins to walk into the hall. It's a little after one thirty.

"Hello, is Dr. Mikamura available?" A woman questions from the other end of the line. She stops when she hears it. Rain knows it well. It belongs to a nurse she works with at the emergency room at the hospital.

"Hello Ms. Tamagawa," Rain responds. She keeps her voice pleasant however she is all but happy to hear from Ms. Tamagawa at the moment. Not after all that she saw of her the day before… "Is something wrong?"

"Well, yes. There is something wrong. A patient you dealt with yesterday afternoon passed away this morning."

Rain winces. Those are words she _never_ wants to hear. "Which patient?" she says in a small voice.

"Mamoru Saitou."

_Mamoru Saito,_ Rain plays around with the name in her mind, trying to recall the patient. _I remember now. Mamoru Saitou. Age nineteen. Came in around the same time as the victims of that bus accident…complained about a really bad headache. I gave him to a med student to deal with because I had my hands full with other things._ "What did he die ofMs. Tamagawa?" Rain asks.

"Brain aneurism," the nurse says dryly.

Rain leans against the wall in the hall. _Bad way to go. And he was so young too…_ "I feel sorry for his family."

"Yes. We all do. His mother was rather distraught upon hearing the news. But I just want to ask you if you remember any of the symptoms the patient showed when you first saw him."

Rain thought back. "He was just holding his head and rocking back and forth, complaining about a headache. Nothing out of the ordinary. There was no way that I could have known, let alone that med student that something was seriously wrong with the young man."

"Yes, well doctor…" the nurse continues, though Rain doesn't hear anything after those three words. For right after the word "doctor" an unknown pain surges through the cinnamon-haired woman, originating from her abdomen. Rain cringes at the pain and lets out a sound that alarms the woman on the other end of the connection. "Dr. Mikamura, is everything okay over there?" The woman asks, the worry apparent in her voice.

Rain doesn't answer. She hits the "end" button and drops the phone to the floor, holding her stomach and hoping that the pain will go away. It feels like someone is digging a sharp knife into her. Even through her pain Rain realized that the pain isn't in her stomach. The doctor considers if it could be her kidneys that are giving her this pain however that's impossible. The pain is in her lower abdomen, very much near her opening and focuses on two areas parallel to each other. In order for it to be coming from her kidneys the pain would have to come from her lower back. The pain subsides somewhat after a few minutes however it is still there. Then all of a sudden Rain has the urge to pee. Pee like there's no tomorrow.

She races to the bathroom down the hall and gets there just before her body relieves itself involuntarily. She lets out a satisfied sigh as she releases into the water below her. She tries to make sense of the pain that once plagued her entirely. _"What's going on?"_ Rain questions as she stands and starts to wipe herself. When she does wipe herself she looks down at the tissue just out of habit, just to make sure everything looks okay. What she sees shocks her.

"_Blood?"_ Rain says aloud, horrified and unsure if this is all really happening. She closes her eyes for a few seconds and tries to clear away the panic that is settling over her. _Calm down Rain. Just calm down, _she tells herself. _There's a reason for all of this. You just have to think about it…it's probably just your period—no. It can't be my period. It came just three weeks ago, right before Domon's birthday. It's too soon for it to come. And this pain is definitely not cramps. So what then? _She looks back down at the tissue and studies it closely. She sees the bright red color of blood yet again however she sees another color mixed in it. It's a lighter color—it looks almost white to the woman.

…_No it's not white. It's silver._ Rain's brow furrows in perplexity._ But how can that be? What do I have in me that's silver? No human being possesses anything in their body that is silver. Especially not anything that comes out of the body. Unless it's— _Her face contorts in realization. _DG cells,_ she thinks grimly. Rain turns around slowly and looks into the toilet, hoping not to see what she thinks will be there. At first all she sees is the redness of blood. But soon she also sees the swirl of silver that dances gracefully around in the redness. —_but how?! It can't be!_

She smacks herself mentally for such a stupid thought. _What am I saying? The doctor told me this could happen when he examined me right after Domon rescued me from the Dark Gundam. He said it would happen in the first few weeks that followed…But it's been nearly three months! I didn't think it would happen at all. And he didn't say there would be so much blood! _Rain can feel the trickle of blood run down her leg. She looks down at the creamy skin of her right leg, now stained with the offending liquid. She gulps hard and her hands begin to tremble. The panic that she once suppressed is beginning to break through. _I've got to get some help._

Rain leaves the bathroom in a rush, panicking even more when more blood runs down her leg. She stops running a few seconds later when a dizzy spell settles on her. The determined blue eyed beauty leans against the wall in the hall for support and wills herself to continue. _Come on. Pull it togeth—_ She slides down to the floor for lack of strength to stand. She knows that her consciousness may be leaving her soon for her vision is beginning to blur. _Oh God,_ Rain cries in her head as a sound of apparent pain escapes her lips upon the pains return with full force. It's much worse than before and Rain can't stop the tears from falling. _Someone please—_she thinks as she rocks back and forth. _Please help me—Domon._ And with that, the woman loses the grip she has on her consciousness and falls into a world of blackness.

- - - - - - - -

"Hey Rain I'm back," Domon says again as he walks into the kitchen. He frowns at the fact that he had to announce his arrival twice, something he almost never has to do. It surprised Domon that she wasn't in the living room watching the usual and rather foolish evening soap operas she watched on her days off and she wasn't in the basement doing laundry. The only other place he expected her to be was the kitchen. But she wasn't there either.

_She better not still be asleep,_ Domon thinks as he ascends up the side staircase. He goes into the bedroom the couple shares together. _No, not here either._ He walks into the master bathroom although he hears no movement coming from inside of it. Again, there is no sign of Rain there. He's two steps shy of worrying when a thought hits him. He smirks. Rain had done something like this a week ago. She hid from him in the house, leaving a note on his dresser saying if he found her she'd give him a surprise. And what a surprise that night was. The candles, the strawberries, the whipped cream…But that's not important now. He has to find her before he can indulge in any of his thoughts that are surely sinful.

Domon checks all of the good hiding spots that Rain had pointed out to him before. And there are quite a few, with all of the unused rooms and the office and all. But he still can't find her. _She's really found a good spot this time, _the King of Hearts says to himself as he steps outside into the front yard to see if she's hiding out there. He checks behind every bush but still there is no sign of her.

Annoyed with the fact that he can't find his lover, Domon goes back into the house. "Okay Rain I give. Where the hell are you?" Domon says as he stands in the middle of the living room. He stands there for a few minutes, looking around for signs of her. There are none. In fact, the only sound in the room besides Domon's breathing is the ticking of the clock next to him. It's seven fifteen. "I said I give up Rain," he repeats in a much louder voice, thinking that she hadn't heard him the first time. A minute passes and yet again there is no movement or sound coming form any parts of the house.

"Rain!" Domon yells as he stalks through the house yet again. "I said I give! What the hell do you want?! A medal or something for being in a good hiding spot?!" He checks beneath the futon in her office yet again. He lets out a sigh of irritation as he prepares himself to yell for her yet again as he leaves the room. But then he looks down the hall and notices the bathroom. He'd completely ignored it on his first few sweeps of the house.

Domon smirks. _I bet she's right in there, _he thinks as looks at the door. _She's probably trying her hardest not to burst out laughing. I can't believe I didn't notice it before. I wonder what she's got in store for me…_ He begins to walk towards the door when he kicks something. He looks down to see what it is. _The phone? But why isn't this on the base? She probably dropped it when she was going to go hide. _He picks up the cordless phone and continues along his way down the hall to the bathroom.

The man is finally upon the door. He smirks. "Okay you can come out now. I've found you." Domon opens the door swiftly, hoping to startle his missing partner. However he is the one who is startled when she is not there. "She's not here," Domon states into the quiet of the bathroom, his voice trailing off at the end. He starts to leave the bathroom when something catches his eye on the floor. It's the gleam of a piece of jewelry. Domon picks it up. It's Rain's earring.

The fighter's brow furrows at the sight of his girlfriend's jewelry just lying around on the floor. "_She's always so careful with her jewelry," _Domon whispers as he crouches on the tiled floor. That's when he sees it. Something he hadn't noticed before but knows right away that he should have. Because what he's seeing is a small puddle of blood and a trail of droplets leading away from it. Both are smeared though, as if someone as walked across them. He follows the droplets into the hall where a larger puddle is. _Much _larger

Domon's breath catches in his chest. _"Blood?"_ He says the word as if he's never heard it before in his life. _But why is there—_ All of a sudden everything makes sense to him. The phone thrown on the floor in the hall. Rain's earring on the floor. And now this. The blood. It's just the icing on the cake for Domon. Different scenarios begin to play in Domon's mind. Scenarios of someone coming into his home and taking Rain away against her will. Scenarios of someone hurting Rain. And even worse, scenarios of someone _touching_ her.

Domon rushes through the house with new found determination. He knows now that he has to find her—he has to be sure that this isn't some figment of his imagination and Rain is just hiding somewhere else. But that still doesn't explain the phone on the floor or the earring or the blood. The phone and the earring were acceptable. He could see those two things being on the floor, no matter how farfetched the reason was. But not the blood. _God is she bleeding? I hope she isn't hurt. I swear if someone has hurt her I'll kill them with my bare hands!_ Domon thinks furiously as he continues his search of the house yet again. However as he is checking their bedroom once again, the phone rings.

Domon checks all around the room all the while the phone continues to ring. After five minutes of constant ringing Domon looks on the video phone to see who could possibly be calling and annoying the hell out of him. His heart skips a beat when he sees that the call is coming from the Neo Japanese colony. And only one person EVER called them from there. Domon answers the call in a rush and puts it on speaker phone. "Dad!" He exclaims, happy to hear from his father at such a crucial time. "Dad something's wrong," Domon starts in a nervous rush, his voice on the verge of cracking. "I came home today and Rain wasn't here and her earring and the phone were an the floor and there was blood in the bathroom and,"

"It's okay Domon. Calm down son." His father assures him.

"But Dad Rain's not here! Someone took her away from me and wants to,"

Dr. Kasshu cuts his son off before he can continue with his ramblings. "Domon no one has taken Rain away from you. She's at the hospital."

"_The hospital?"_ Domon reiterates. "But why would she be _there?_ Today is her day off."

"Domon," Dr. Kasshu says cautiously, "Rain isn't at he hospital where she works. She's at Central Hospital."

_Central Hospital? But why there?—Wait! I know that place! We were there a few months ago._ "But why is she there now Dad? It doesn't make sense."

"Domon, someone called me from there a few hours ago saying that Rain had been admitted."

"_Admitted?!"_ Domon can feel an uneasiness settle over him at the word. His Rain is NEVER supposed to be admitted in a hospital. She's supposed to be fine—healthy, always.

Dr. Kasshu nods. "They wouldn't tell me what the problem was over the phone. The nurse I spoke with told me that Rain had instructed them to call me in hopes that I would be able to contact you here seeing as the nurses had been trying for quite some time but in vain for you hadn't returned yet. They didn't have the time to keep calling so Rain told them to call me so I could try."

_But why? _Domon thinks as a pain slowly grows in his heart. _Why is she there? What's wrong with you Rain?_

The older man looks at his son's shocked expression. "Domon I know that this must be a shock for you."

"Dad I just," Domon stops for he can feel the pain in his heart worsen at the thought of something being seriously wrong with Rain. His breath catches in his chest. He can't bear the thought of it.

"I know son," Dr. Kasshu says, knowing exactly how hard it is not knowing what the problem may be with someone you love. "Listen, get going okay? I'm sure Rain is waiting to see you."

Domon nods slowly. "Thank you, Dad."

"You don't have to thank me, Domon. You just get to Central Hospital and find out what's wrong with Rain. Call me when you do."

"Sure." Domon gives his father a curt nod then ends the connection. He's prolonged his emotional breakdown until another time. Right now all he needs to focus on is getting to Rain. The fighter races out of the bedroom, down the stairs and out of the house. He gets into his corelander and speeds off to Central Hospital.

* * *

Ooo, cliffhanger!

Review, and I'll get the next chapter to you guys sooner than you think :)


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